This chapter is essentially a political polemic, rather than a reasoned essay, on the privacy issues surrounding large scale computer databases. Even worse, the political concerns are stated in terms of the early 1970s with now somewhat dated references to the “illegal activities” of J. Edgar Hoover or the “controversial attorney general,” John Mitchell. These comments tend to detract from the reader’s understanding of some of the important issues of privacy over large computer databases.

Two large computer database systems are discussed. The first is the AT&T transactional information database which contains the telephone call records of most individuals. Potential abuses of these databases are discussed with their use in various AT&T marketing studies cited as examples. Comments here are based on AT&T prior to the breakup and are filled with references to AT&T’s “monopoly” powers.

The second database system discussed is the criminal information system of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is described as a system of “almost unimagined size and complexity.” There is considerable discussion regarding the potential for error within this database as it contains personal arrest data which may not always be accurate.

The author feels that there is a large number of persons who have been incorrectly classified as criminals on this database. According to the author, “the majority of private employers” use this database to search for criminal information prior to making hiring decisions. It is suggested that a “permanent class” of persons is being created who are unemployed because of such incorrect database information. While there may be some valid concerns, the author does not help his case through the use of rather spurious statistics. For example, when one considers the many small private employers within the economy, it is hard to believe that the majority of them rely upon FBI data in making their employment decisions.

There are some valid privacy issues surrounding large databases. However, the arguments for or against their use are not well served by such rather strident political polemics. This essay would be better placed in a political tract rather than in a technical book.